Katrina Evacuation

We fled from Katrina’s wrath Sunday morning with my four girls, my brother and his family of three more children, and our friend Laura. None of us had a clue as to what was in store for us other than the prospect of another large storm heading our way.

We hit the back roads as the main arteries and interstate highways were in contra-flow emergency mode and we didn’t want to get stuck in the midst of a few thousand automobiles. Our destination was NNW as my wife’s uncle had made reservations for us for a few nights at the Ramada Inn Hilltop on the Mississippi River in Natchez Mississippi. What was normally a two to three hour trip took us nearly six and a half hours.

Staying in the hotels and on the road is very expensive particular when you are trying to feed five adults and seven children so as we heard more and more grim news in regards to the devastation in New Orleans and the Slidell area we knew that our stay was going to be much longer than we thought and with limited financial resources we simply prayed for provision, wisdom, and strength.

At about one o’clock on Tuesday of this week my wife’s uncle and his girlfriend were in a park near downtown Natchez and a woman approached them, asking questions about their cats who were both in kitty carriers. When they explained that they were fleeing the storm she asked about accommodations and soon offered them possible refuge.

I only know her as Jeanette and her husband is a retired dentist in Natchez and she was actively pursuing refugees in the city to see what she could do for them. We took her up on a her offer to go see a house and we were directed to Bob and Kathy Siezemore who have just moved up the street and have a vacant home available. What an incredible answer to prayer! The house is an old home in historic Natchez and has three bedrooms and is very spacious but has been closed up for a few months so needed to be cleaned.

We spent most of Wednesday moving boxes around and cleaning up clutter, dust, debris and readying the residence for occupation.

The children still think they are on a vacation even though the older girls know a bit more, but they don’t really understand. In fact, I don’t think us adults really understand that our entire lives have been put on hold, turn upside down, shaken sideways, and that perhaps our homes don’t exist. We have not gotten word on our specific area and home situation and are not allowed back in to the neighborhoods yet so we wait in hope and dread hearing more news on the television.

My brother rigged up an old TV with a coat hanger antenna so we can see some news and we still have no telephone either by land line or cell. I’m using my laptop right now to type this on the steps of a neighbor’s house borrowing some wifi bandwidth.

Our church is more than likely destroyed by both wind and water and we are in the process of still trying to locate all of our members to see what their needs are. You can view our church’s site at www.sgfellowship.org to read a blog that’s been setup there to serve as an update as well.

That’s all for now, I will try to update this blog as I can and let you know of our needs.

Alpha and Omega Ministries has set up a donation account for us here: www.aomin.org/index.php?itemid=625

Our biggest needs will be food and utilities. I am currently locating a refrigerator in the neighborhood for the twelve of us and the people here have been amazing; a true neighborhood of charity.

Our mailing address is : The Louisiana Katrina Refugee Camp 819 Washington St. Natchez, MS 39120

This has been an incredible time for us to see God answer prayer. Amidst the desolation, anger, hurt, death, destruction and chaos He never sleeps nor discontinues His graciousness.